To make sure that we stayed true to Henrik’s original vision we enlisted him as a “co-director”. He gave his input throughout the whole process from set design to wardrobe to the actual shoot. In addition, Henrik’s school mates were cast as actors and assisted in the set by for example handling the clapperboard.

The production was heavily affected by the enormous gap between our overall production budget and the enormity of Henrik’s script. Also, for the children to be able to take part in the production, the filming had to take place in Finland, where labor costs are among Europe’s highest. That is why we opted (luckily with Henrik’s approval) for a "deluxe school play look" instead of a realistic but CGI-heavy production. Shooting the film in an actually built set also provided a better learning experience for the children as they got a better behind the scenes experience.